How to Make a Come up from Being Laid Off

Let’s keep it real, being laid off sucks. Especially if it comes unexpectedly. However I found that if you plan your life correctly. This can be great opportunity to excel in your career. Here are five ways to make a come up from being laid off.

 

Stay ready so you never have to get ready.

Years ago, I was playing basketball at a local court and ran into a guy that was coaching a team at a local pro-am tournament. He remember me from playing basketball in college and wanted me to play on his team. At that point, I had not played basketball in over six months and was so out of shape that I could not run up and down the court more than three times. So I made up some lame excuse why I could not play for him. That day I learned one of the most important lessons of my life. Stay ready so you never have to get ready. 

At any point you can be fired, laid off or lose a contract. You have to be mentally and financially prepared for these type of life events. Understand these situations sometime just happen and no matter what you (and your family) will be just fine. Try and live WAY under your means. Save your money and try and invest in something so your money can grow. So when one of these event happen you are ready to deal with it.

 

It’s Time to Get Your Hustle On

Most people look for a job by updating their resume, updating their linkedin profile and searching the job boards. All of those are important but sitting at your computer all day is not going to cut it. You going to have to get up and make some moves. Start looking for local meetup groups to join that are relevant to your career and attend the events. Attend seminars, become better at your career while telling people about your current situation. Look at how you can make money with your current skill set and become a freelancer. (You might even end up creating your own business). Also don’t be afraid to drop your resume off at a company in person but make sure you apply for the opportunity first online. I’ve gotten several jobs this way. 

 

Chill and Enjoy the time off

Enjoy the new time off. Set aside about 2 hour a day to look for new opportunities, apply for jobs and answer e-mails. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy. Workout, spend time with family and friends, explore new areas of your city, take an online class or catch up on some reading. Enjoy this freedom and take the time to recharge yourself.

Don’t get too comfortable

Remember you still need to find a new career opportunity, so stay focused and don’t get too complacent with your new free time.

 

Make sure the opportunity is right for you and your family

Being a Web Designer and Front End Developer I’m very high in demand. I see job listing for jobs well over 100K. But when I read through the job description it’s not a good fit for me and my current lifestyle. Money is no longer my major driving force. (Let's keep it 100, I'm not going to turn down big money, lol) I would rather take less money in return for more free time with my wife and son. We all want to be successful in our careers. But if it mean missing out on all the special times with family it just not worth it in my eyes.

Let me know what you guys thinks. Did I miss anything or maybe you disagree. Leave your comments below.